A bit of an update

Just a few points:
- Daniel has a job, in IT working in Potters Bar. This is in Hertforshire, just north of London. He is doing technical assistance for a group of brand new hospitals and homes specialsing in the care of autistic people. He has worked 3 days and is loving every bit of it. They said they had 170 people apply so wow how great to get it!
- We are looking to move to hertfordshire in August when our lease ends here. Hopefully can find a place a bit cheaper as its out of london, and I think the lifestyle of the country will suit us better. London will still be easily accessible, as trains from Potters bar connects to London in about half an hour, which is no less than the time it takes for us to get to London from our place here in Hendon.
- We bought a car, this is mostly for Daniels job. It is an Astra, black. Daniel has been driving it with no real worries. Luckily his I Phone has GPS or we'd be in bother.
- Daniel has joined a cricket team, Mill Hill Village Cricket Club. He is playing second grade and pleaying well personally, but his team is yet to win (or even look like winning). He has averaged 21 with the bat so far, so if you know what daniel;s batting is normally like you would be amazed by this! I wish I had a camera when we went to his home ground. It is hilarious! Literally its like a paddock in the middle of the country- and on a huge slope. At least the grass is green. We took mum and dad for a drive there- it was so funny we couldnt stop laughing.
- I have been playing Versatility (a variation on indoor netball) on tuesday nights. Enjoying it. Also have joined a rotaract club, they just meet up weekly for meetings and guest speakers and then go to festvals and stuff. I have been busy with work so have missed the last few meetings, but hope to get back into it soon.
- My job has been challenging to say the least. I finished my 3 month probationary period. I am really struggling with it. It is awful as I deal with complaints all day and also as I have probably mentioned before, there is a huge problem with shoplifting. Maybe when we move to Potters bar I will look into other work. I really miss pharmacy, especially having customers who i know by name and who know me by name. I also miss working with people who actually want to be there. I am also getting sick of the utter rudeness of Londoners.
- Weather is improving. Stays daylight until about 9:30 now and the sun is up at 5. Nearly pulled out the shorts the other day! Even got a tad sunburnt.
- Everything is going well anyway, and we are looking forward to our next chapter, which will most likely be our move in August. Until then it will be knuckling down and working for both of us!

Daniel and his visit to the aquarium

We finally went to the London Aquarium, as it was being renovated for the last few months. It was actually pretty good, had some decent displays and lots of variety. Sharks not as good as ours back home though.
Their renovation has made it all into sections set up with themes like the amazon etc. It creates a really good atmosphere as it makes you feel like you are almost in the rainforest. Its more than just fish in tanks. There is one part where you can actually walk on glass on top of the shark tank. Some stupid American came and jumped on it while we were standing on it- Daniel was not impressed. In all it was pretty good and we would probably go back again.

Paris- the city of romance and urine

Bonjour!!
Our day trip to Paris started early- we caught the 5:30am eurostar from London (and didn't get back until 10:30pm that same day). Daniel didn't come as he had cricket and a job interview. The Eurostar is a really great train, you could hardly feel you were moving on it. It allows you to get from London to Paris in under 2 and a half hours. Interestingly, there was a man sitting in front of us who had finished 3 cans of Stella Artois by 6:30 in the morning- now thats dedication/alcoholism....
First, we caught the Metro train into the city. Unfortunately this was our first time we smelled wee. This happened to be something we found we could not avoid, as even sitting in cafes you could smell urine. I think Parisians must just piss everywhere or their hobos don't congregate in alleys and subways like in London. Or maybe its that people object to paying 1 euro to use the bathroom (ie 2 dollars)- And also my other whinge is about the homeless people camped at the landmarks trying to get money from you. This guy was sitting by the Seine with his puppies begging for money.

We then caught an open top bus around Paris, one of the first very expensive activities for the day. Might be the most romantic city, but I would put it up there with the most expensive. Felt far worse than London.


Our first stop was the Louvre, site of the famous Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo. Worth seeing, even if on a limited time scale, but don't pay for the headphones (they are not worth it). The Louvre is great not only for its art, but also for the building itself. It used to be a palace until some French King (Louis something) decided to build Versailles instead.





We then also went by Notre Dame cathederal. It was a real tourist hub and huge lines to get in Quite pretty though. No hunchback in sight except some guy dressed up as the Hunchback busking...


Then we got to see the Arc de Triumphe and Champs Elysees- The Champs Elysees is this beautiful tree lined avenue. Was probably the best sight in Paris.

Finally, The Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately the weather was shocking. Really cold (we were expecting 22 degrees, but it was more like 16-17) and windy too. The lines to go up were really long too. The Eiffel Tower is actually best viewed from a distance we all agreed.

We got a good laugh because under the Eiffel tower you get approached by people trying to sell you these keyrings etc- Then all of a sudden they run away- Because the cops come by! They are obviously illegally selling them. It was this game of cat and mouse that went on over and over again. Didn't see any get caught though and they would return as soon as the cops left.

And finally- The Moulin Rouge!!! (Still playing the same play we saw there 3 years ago)

I just realised this blog sounds pretty negative. Unfortunately I must say that we really were disappointed with Paris, and this wasn't helped by the windy cold day we had. The Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysees really are beautiful places if you take the time to appreciate them. As for it being the city of Love, we didn't see it... I think I really will remember it as the city of wee smell. :(

Mum and Dad

The aussies have landed! Mum and dad and Pauline and Gary have come to visit us, for a short while and to do some further travels into Wales and Ireland. As soon as they got off the plane, I laughed as dad had a bum bag on. I told him that if he was in London with that on he would be a target for thieves as it screams out 'tourist'. Not to mention him nearly getting his head trapped in the doors of the train when he looked out to see the sun shining.



They have been very busy in their 4 days in London, went to Big ben and westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey is really good inside with the tombs of so many kings and queens, and just the history of it all. They also went to buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard, but unfortunately so did nearly all the tourists in London. We didnt see much, but will probably go back next week.

As you can see we also went to the Tower of London again. This was my third visit- and it was still as good as the first time! (I'd recommend it to anyone). We also got to see the tower bridge's suspension part go up for a boat which was pretty cool.

On saturday we also went to Camden Markets. The Camden Markets are these funky punk/alternative markets. Really good for unique clothes and jewellery, and also bongs if thats your thing. They are an experience!!

We have been having plenty of pub meals, and trying a few different beers. Mum and dad seem to have the hang of the tube and are comfortable getting around. They came to see our place, and gal commented to daniel that hes seen walk in robes bigger than our bedroom, but thats ok.

It has been really great having them here. I will be grumpy that it has all gone so quickly.

Imperial War Museum

Daniel and I went to the Imperial War Museum, as it is free to get in!
It had a really good collection of war memorabilia. We were very impressed with the tanks, bombs and weapons. They also had a holocaust exhibition, but we didn't get a chance to look at it (another time maybe)